As seniors approach graduation, many events are noticeably expensive, considering senior prom tickets for solos are on the high of $140 just to attend, not including clothing or transportation. Then, there’s the senior trip to Disneyland which is $355 to $420 for each student, not offering any refunds. Senior pictures range in price but can easily hit $300. Don’t forget the cap and gowns, the panoramic picture and yearbook. To participate in these events, students are easily paying $900 or more.
Although these events can bring a lot of good memories to reminisce on after graduation, they may not be affordable for many students.
Mt. Eden senior Evan Fernandes mentioned that he feels like not everyone can afford the senior events happening at Mt. Eden because of their high price. “One time I got offered a free prom ticket because I was hard working in my class. So there are some kids who I think should get a free prom ticket if they have a hard time at home and can’t afford things,” said Fernandes.
Mt. Eden seniors Samantha Villafan and Bernardo Barbosa Guerrero also agree that the events are expensive. “I think [costs are] expensive because I think it’s too much for one thing and the prom tickets are too expensive among other things,” said Villafan.
Mt. Eden is a big school with 2,000 students and there is a need for funds for hall renovations, school supplies, and operations. The budget is sizable. The funds collected from the senior events are used to help provide more activities for the school to improve the community and the environment for students. Gary Duran, leadership teacher and planner of events, said senior costs are all estimated and inflation raises the expenses, therefore there is almost nothing they can do about the high prices.
“The costs for the events happening at Mt. Eden are all estimations of how much the people that they require need to be paid and we try our best to lower the prices, but unfortunately for the pictures and gowns there is nothing we can do for lowering the prices,” stated Duran.
There are creative ways to save on some of these costs. For instance, you can get a loan for the cap and gown from the school, you can submit your own senior picture printed in the yearbook, sign up for events early, and bundle the activities which saves you some money on the total.
Even though these prices are high, they still bring good memories for seniors, celebrating their last year in high school as they officially become adults. Yet again, it is extremely overpriced, especially if a student is coming from a family who struggles with money. Although there are students that can afford these events these high prices leave the majority of students out of fully participating. In an effort to have everyone be offered the same opportunities and build community, cost becomes a barrier to inclusiveness.
